Throughout this site and in South West Observatory publications you will find reference to a number of terms and acronyms specific to the work carried out by the network. To help guide you through the maze of terms and acronyms we have compiled an up-to-date list to help you out.
The South West Observatory is very grateful to the Office for National Statistics Regional and Local Division for use of its glossary, reproduced below. This has also been supplemented by the Skills and Learning Module (SLIM) and consequently includes a large number of South West acronyms.
[Use the quick search bar to your left to check whether a term is explained.]
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S -T - U - V - W - X -Y-Z
ABI(1) - Annual Business Inquiry
ABI (2) - Association of British Insurers
AC - Audit Commission
AES - Annual Employment Survey
AESP - Advanced Engineering Skills Project
AGCAS - Association of Graduate Careers Advisory Services
AIF - Area Investment Framework
ALBSU - Adult Literacy and Basic Skills Unit
ALI - Adult Learning Inspectorate
Allsopp review - Review of Statistical Requirements for Regional Economic Policy (2003, 2004)
APL - Accredited Prior Learning
APS - Annual Population Survey
ARI - Annual Register Inquiry
ARID - Allsopp Review Implementation Division (in ONS)
ARO - Association of Regional Observatories
ASHE - Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings
Atkinson Review - Review of Government Output and Productivity Measures (2005)
Return to Top
BCC - British Chambers of Commerce
BCC - British Chambers of Commerce
BCS - British Crime Survey
BHPS - British Household Panel Survey
BoE - Bank of England
BTEC - Business and Technology Educational Council
BTI - British Trade International
BTN - Business Training Network
BVPI - Best Value Performance Indicator
Return to Top
C&G - City & Guilds
CA - Countryside Agency (until 31/3/05)
CAA - Civil Aviation Authority
CAL - Computer-Assisted Learning
CAMHS - Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services
CAPRI - Critical Assessment of Prediction of Interactions
CBET - Competence-based Education and Training
CBI - Confederation of British Industry
CCT - Compulsory Competitive Tendering
CDRP - Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership
CILIP - Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals
CIM - Chartered Institute of Marketing
CIPFA - Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy
CIS - Community Innovation Survey
CLIP - Central and Local Information Partnership
CO - Cabinet Office
CoE - Compensation of Employees
COREPER - Committee of Permanent Representatives to the European Commission
CoVE - Centre of Vocational Excellence
CPA - Comprehensive Performance Assessment
CPD - Continuing Professional Development
CPS (1) - Continuous Population Survey
CPS (2) - Crown Prosecution Service
CPT - Confederation of Passenger Transport UK
CPVE - Certificate of Pre-Vocational Education
CSCI - Commission for Social Care Inspection
CSO - Central Statistics Office (until 1996; now part of ONS)
CSPI - Corporate Services Price Index
CVM - Chained-volume Measure
CYPU - Children and Young Person's Unit (in DfES)
Return to Top
DCA - Department of Constitutional Affairs (from June 2003)
DCMS - Department for Culture, Media, and Sport
DEFRA - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
DEL - Departmental Expenditure Limit
DETI - Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Northern Ireland)
DfEE - Department for Education and Employment
DfES - Department for Education and Skills
DfT - Department for Transport
DG REGIO - European Commission Directorate-general for Regional Affairs
DHSSPNI - Dept. of Health, Social Services and Public Safety (Northern Ireland)
DoH, DH - Department of Health (England)
DTI - Department for Trade and Industry
DWP - Department for Work and Pensions
Return to Top
EA - Environment Agency (until 31/3/05)
EBS - Education Business Partnership
ECLO - European Consortium for the Learning Organisation
EDAP - Employment Development and Assistance Programme
EFS - Expenditure and Food Survey
EHCS - English Household Condition Survey
ELLi - European Lifelong Learning Institute
ELWa - Education and Learning Wales
EMU - Economic and Monetary Union
ENTO - Employment National Training Organisation
EO - Employers' Organisation
ES - Employment Service
ESA 95 - European System of Accounts (1995)
ESECT - Enhancing Student Employability Co-ordination Team
ESF - European Social Fund
ESOL - English for Speakers of Other Languages
ESRC - Economic and Social Research Council
ESRD - Economic and Social Reporting Directorate (in ONS)
ETP - Employer Training Pilot
EU - European Union
EUROSTAT - European Union Statistical Office
Return to Top
FC - Forestry Commission
FCO - Foreign and Commonwealth Office
FE - Further Education
FEDA - Further Education Development Agency
FEFC - Further Education Funding Council
FENTO - Further Education National Training Organisation
FES - Family Expenditure Survey
FEU - Further Education Unit
FISIM - Financial Intermediation Services Indirectly Measured
FOI - Freedom of Information
FRC - Family Records Centre (part of ONS)
FRESA - Framework for Regional Employment and Skills Action
FRS - Family Resources Survey
FSB - Federation of Small Business
Return to Top
GAD - Government Actuary's Department
GBP - Graduate Business Partnership
GCE - General Certificate of Education
GCSE - General Certificate of Secondary Education
GD - Group Director (in ONS)
GDP - Gross Domestic Product
GDP (CP) - Gross Domestic Product (Current Price)
GDP (KP) - Gross Domestic Product (Constant Price)
GEM - Global Entrepreneurship Monitor
GEMT - Graduate into Manufacturing Technology
GFCE - Government Final Consumption Expenditure
GFCF - Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFC)
GFF - General Field Force (in ONS)
GHS - General Household Survey
GIS - Geographical Information Systems
GLA - Greater London Authority
GLO - Global Learning Outcomes
GNP - Gross National Product
GNP (CP) - Gross National Product (Current Price)
GNP (KP) - Gross National Product (Constant Price)
GNVQ - General National Vocational Qualification
GO - Government Office for the Regions
GOIN - Government Office Intelligence Network
GORs - Government Offices for the Regions
GOS - Gross Operating Surplus
GOSW - Government Office for the South West
GRO - General Register Office for England and Wales (now part of ONS)
GRO(NI) - General Register Office for Northern Ireland
GRO(S) - General Register Office for Scotland
GSI - Government Secure Intranet
GSS - Government Statistical Service
GSS(I) - Government Statistical Service International Committee
GTA - Group Training Association
GTP - Gross Trading Profit
GVA - Gross Value Added
GVA (CP) - Gross Value Added (Current Price)
GVA (KP) - Gross Value Added (Constant Price)
Return to Top
HBAI - Households Below Average Income
HCT - Human Capital Theory
HE - Higher Education
HEBI - Higher Education Business Interaction
HEC - Higher Education for Capability
HEFCE - Higher Education Funding Council for England
HEFCE - Higher Education Funding Council for England
HEFCW - Higher Education Funding Council for Wales
HEI - Higher Education Institution
HERDA - Higher Education Regional Development Agency
HES - Hospital Episode Statistics
HESA - Higher Education Statistics Agency
HHFCE - Household Final Consumption Expenditure
HICP - Harmonised Index of Consumer Prices
HLFS - Household Labour Force Survey
HLMR - Healthy Labour Market Review
HMCE - Her Majesty's Customs and Excise
HMI - Her Majesty's Inspectorate
HMRC - Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs
HMT - Her Majesty's Treasury
HNC - Higher National Certificate
HND - Higher National Diploma
HO - Home Office
HPSSS - Health and Personal Social Services Statistics
HR - Human Resources
HRA - Housing Revenue Account
HRD - Human Resource Development
HRM - Human Resource Management
HSCIC - Health and Social Care Information Centre (from 1/4/05)
HTML - Hyper Text Mark-up Language
Return to Top
IAG - Information, Advice and Guidance
IAGP - Information, Advice and Guidance Partnership
IBS - International Benchmarking Study
ICD - International Classification of Disease
ICE - Individual Consumption Expenditure
ICP - International Comparison of Productivity
ICT - Information and Communications Technology
IDBR - Inter-Departmental Business Register
IEG- Implementing Electronic Government
IER - Institute for Employment Research
IES - Institute for Employment Studies
IiP - Investors in People
ILA - Individual Learning Account
ILfA - Inspiring Learning for All
ILO - International Labour Organisation
ILR - Individual Learner Record
IMD - Index of Multiple Deprivation
IOP - Index of Production
IoS - Index of Services
IPS - International Passenger Survey
IR - Inland Revenue
IT IS - International Trade in Services
ITO - Industry Training Organisation
Return to Top
JISC- Joint Information Systems Committee
JSA - Jobseekers Allowance
Return to Top
KESW - Knowledge Exploitation South West
KTP - Knowledge Transfer Partnership
Knowledge Exploitation South West
- Knowledge Transfer Partnership
Return to Top
L&D- Learning and Development
LA - Local Authority
LAD - Local Authority District
LAN - Local Area Network
LAU - Local Administrative Unit
LCD - Lord Chancellor's Department (until June 2003)
LDA - London Development Agency
LDF - Local Development Frameworks
LEA - Local Education Authority
LFS - Labour Force Survey
LG - Local Government
LGA - Local Government Association
LGDUW - Local Government Data Unit (Wales)
LLSC - Local Learning and Skills Council
LMS - Labour Market Statistics
Local LSC - Local Learning and Skills Council
LP - Learning Partnership
LPSA - Local Public Service Agreement
LS - Longitudinal Study
LSC - Learning and Skills Council
LSDA - Learning and Skills Development Agency
LSP - Local Strategic Partnership
LTSN - Learning and Teaching Support Network
LUCS - Land Use Change Statistics
LUZ - Larger Urban Zone
Lyons Review - Civil Service-wide project to relocate govt. departments out of London
Return to Top
MA - Modern Apprenticeship
MD - Methodology (and Statistical Development) Directorate (in ONS)
MIDDS - Monthly Inquiry into Distribution and Service Sectors
MIS - Management Information System
MLMD - Macro-Economics and Labour Market Directorate (in ONS)
MoD - Ministry of Defence
MORI - Market and Opinion Research International (A private sector research and survey organisation)
MPC - Monetary Policy Committee (Bank of England)
MPI - Monthly Production Inquiry
MSC - Manpower Services Commission
MSDD - Methodology and Statistical Development Directorate (in ONS)
Return to Top
NACD - National Accounts Co-ordination Division (in ONS)
NACE - General Industrial Classification of Economic Activities used on a European Union-wide basis
NACETT - National Advisory Council for Education and Training Targets
NACRO - National Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders
NAG - National Accounts Group
NAO - National Audit Office
NAW - National Assembly for Wales
NBI - National Basket of Indicators
NCA - New Countryside Agency (from 01/04/05)
NCC - National Curriculum Council
NCVQ - National Council for Vocational Qualifications
NDC - New Deal for Communities
NEBP - National Education Business Partnership
NEET - Not in Education, Employment or Training
NEI - National Expenditure and Income
NES - New Earnings Survey
NESS - National Employers Skills Survey
NeSS - Neighbourhood Statistics
NETCEN - The National Environmental Technology Centre
NHSCR - National Health Service Central Register
NHSIA - NHS Information Authority (until 31/03/05)
NIACE - National Institute of Adult Continuing Education
NIC - National Insurance Contribution
NIESR - National Institute of Economic and Social Research
NINIS - Northern Ireland Neighbourhood Information Service
NIRS - National Insurance Recording System
NISRA - Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
NOMIS - Official labour market statistics for local and national areas
NOP - National Opinion Polls (A private sector research and survey organisation)
NRMCS - The National Road Maintenance Condition Survey
NRU - Neighbourhood Renewal Unit
NSF - National Service Framework
NSGG - National Statistics Geography Group
NSI - National Statistical Institute
NSO - National Statistical Office
NSPG - National Statistics and Planning Group (in ONS)
NTETs - National Training and Education Targets
NTOs - National Training Organisations
NTS - National Travel Survey
NUTS - Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics
NUTS - Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics
NVQ - National Vocational Qualification
Return to Top
OA- Census Output Area
ODL - Open Distance Learning
ODPM - Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
ODRC - Organisational Development and Resources Directorate (in ONS)
OECD - Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development
OFSTED - Office for Standards in Education
OFTEL - Office of Telecommunication
OGD - Other Government Department
OI - Offender's Index
OMB - Office Management Board (in ONS)
ONS - Office for National Statistics
OPCS - Office for Population Census and Surveys (until 1996; now part of ONS)
OS - Ordinance Survey
OST - The Office of Science and Technology
OU - Open University
Return to Top
PAF - Performance Assessment Framework
PAYE - Pay as You Earn
PBC - Parliamentary Boundary Commission (in ONS)
PBR - Pre-Budget Report
PCCD - Parliamentary Constituency Code Data
PCT - Primary Care Trust
PDP - Personal Development Planning
PESAs - Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses (from HM Treasury)
PEU - Population Estimates Unit (in ONS)
PFI - Private Finance Initiative
PG - Cert Postgraduate Certificate
PG - Dip Postgraduate Diploma
Phillis Review - Review of Government communications
PID - Project Initiation Document
PIXC - Passengers in Excess of Capacity
PPF - Public Private Finance
PPI - Producer Price Indices
PPM - Public Performance Measure
PPP (1) - Purchasing Power Parity
PPP (2) - Public Private Partnership
PQ - Parliamentary Question
PRO - Public Records Office
PRODCOM - Products of the European Community
PSA - Public Service Agreement
PTEs - Passenger Transport Executives Performance Assessment Framework
Return to Top
QCA- Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
QDF - Quality Development Fund
Return to Top
R&D - Research and Development
RA - Regional Assembly
RCU - Regional Coordination Unit
RDA - Regional Development Agency
RED - Regional Emphasis Document
REF - Regional Employment Forum
REP - Re-engineering Project
RES - Regional Economic Strategy
RESCO - Regional Statistics Co-ordination Officer (UK/EU)
RNIB - Royal National Institute for the Blind
ROI - Regional Outcome Indicators
RPD - Regional Priority Documents
RPI - Retail Prices Index
RPIX - Retail Prices Index Excluding Mortgage Interest Payments
RSA - Regional Studies Association
RSS - Royal Statistical Society
RTA - Road Traffic Accident
Return to Top
SA- Statistical Analyst
SARs - Samples of Anonymised Records
SBS - Small Business Service
Scotstat - Scottish Statistics User/provider Consultation Network
SCS - NHS Smoking Cessation Service
SDA - Service Delivery Agreement
SE - Scottish Executive
SEHD - Scottish Executive Health Department
SEU - Social Exclusion Unit
SFR - Statistical First Releases
SfRPWG - Statistics for Regional Policy Working Group
SI - Statutory Instrument
SIC - Standard Industrial Classification
SIDP - Statistical Infrastructure Development Programme (in ONS)
SLA - Service Level Agreement
SLIM - Skills and Learning Intelligence Module
SME - Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
SMP - Statistical Modernisation Programme (in ONS)
SNA 93 - System of National Accounts (1993)
SOA - Super Output Area
SOC - Standard Occupational Classification
SPI - Survey of Personal Incomes
SR - Spending Review
SRA - Strategic Rail Authority
SRB - Single Regeneration Budget
SRDU - Strategic Reporting and Delivery Unit (in ONS)
SSC - Sector Skills Council
SSDA - Sector Skills Development Agency
SSU - Sources Strategy Unit (in ONS)
StAR - Strategic Area Review
STATBASE - A repository of datasets on the National Statistics website
STOI - Short-Term Output Indicators
STOIR - Short-term Output Indicators Review
SUF - Statistics User Forum
SVG - Scalable Vector Graphics
SWESA - South West Enterprise and Skills Alliance
SWIP - South West Impact and Performance Group
SWO - South West Observatory
SWRDA - South West (of England) Regional Development Agency
SWREF - South West Regional Employment Forum
Return to Top
TCS - Teaching Company Scheme
TEA - Total Entrepreneurial Activity
TEC - Training and Enterprise Council
TFP - Total Factor Productivity
TIC - Tourist Information Centre
TNG - Thematic Networking Group
TOC - Train Operating Companies
TSA - Tourism Satellite Account
TSC - Training Standards Council
TTWA - Travel To Work Area
Return to Top
UAII - Urban Audit II
UCP - Unlocking Cornish Potential
UfI - University for Industry
UKTS - United Kingdom Travel Survey
ULR - Union Learning Representative
UNECE - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Unicorn - ONS electronic library and information service
UNSCOM - United Nations Statistical Committee
Return to Top
VAT - Value Added Tax
VLE - Virtual Learning Environment
Return to Top
WAG - Welsh Assembly Government
WBL - Work-Based Learning
WDC - Workforce Development Confederation
WEA - Workers' Educational Association
WEAF - West of England Aerospace Forum
WFJ - Work Force Jobs
WHO - World Health Organisation
Return to the Top
